The ‘Hamilton’ Musical Film Premieres on Disney Plus This July

With coronavirus concerns shuttering movie theaters all over the country, delayed movies have become the norm. Black Widow isn’t coming out until November. Fast and Furious 9 doesn’t come out until next Spring.

Here, for a nice change of pace, is a movie that is now coming out earlier than originally planned. Back in February — which now feels like about 12 years ago — Disney announced they had acquired the movie version of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical. At that time, Miranda announced the movie would premiere in theaters on October 15, 2021. Today on Twitter, he revealed a new plan: Hamilton is coming to Disney+ — some 15 months ahead of schedule.

The Hamilton film was actually shot in 2016, on Broadway, with the show’s original cast. The main reason to delay it in the first place was to keep demand up for tickets to the Hamilton show, which back in February was still play eight times a week in New York, and in touring companies around the country. Since then, live theater has gone dark everywhere because of coronavirus. So this is very clever plague counter-programming.

Disney’s February press release touted Hamilton as ...a leap forward in the art of ‘live capture.’ This movie transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way. Combining the best elements of live theater and film, the result is a cinematic stage performance that is a wholly new way to experienceHamilton.” Plus, it’s a lovely way to celebrate Independence Day at home this year. And now it’s less than two months away.